History

“History is the study of events, people and processes of significance to human beings. It is the story of human existence and interaction; the causes and consequences of events, how these events were experienced and affected by human beings. History allows for students to understand their place and their wider historical journey of themselves, their people and their religion. A disciplinary study it enables for the development of both narrativizing skills; evidence evaluation and argument formulation.

History students at HAF will learn vital skills in order to make sense of their place in the world studying through learning through the second order concepts of change and continuity; similarity and difference; cause and consequence; recognizing significance; source evaluation; formulating interpretations. They will study a knowledge rich curriculum which will introduce them to the historical concepts of monarchy, democracy, colonization, empire, religion, political power, rebellion, economic development, technological change, propaganda and many more. It is the intention of the curriculum that students will be able to trace their own historical journey and place in the world and we are committed to a history curriculum which teaches the history of every inhabited continent by 2025. As a department we recognise the crucial role we have in developing literacy through: exposure to academic language, etymology, extended writing practise.  

At KS3 each Year group studies a wide range of knowledge rich engaging topics with a clear focus for each year

Year 7- “How was modern Britain created?”- Invasions pre 1066, Who held power in Medieval England, Silk Road, Religions role in creating Modern England, Local History Greenwich, Is the British Empire something to be celebrated?

Year 8-“How have people made change?”-Interpretations about pre-colonial African Kingdoms, How was slavery abolished, US Civil Rights movement, Experience of African Britons, How did Britain become a Nation of Migration?, How have different groups fought for equality in the 20^th Century?

Year 9-“How has conflict impact on people and politics?”- How did Britain’s experience of warfare change from 1914-1945?, Why did Russia change so much in the 20^th century?, What can we learn from personal stories about the Holocaust?, How did the Troubles lead to a shared society?

At GCSE we teach the Edexcel course comprising the following units: Crime and Punishment 1000 Years of British History; Germany 1918-1939; Spanish Conquest of the Americas; Queen Elizabeth’s Early Reign.

At A-Level we teach in Year 12 Communists States: The Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China. In Year 13 we teach Britain: Gaining and Losing an Empire and the coursework unit on the Origins of the Cold War. We are proud to lead the Harris Federation on teaching China and leading in helping students to attain places at Russell Group and Oxbridge regularly.

Some images of the historical experience our students have had.

Please view Curriculum Maps below:

KS3 + KS4 Curriculum Maps

KS5 Curriculum Maps